Guest Editorial by Debbie Coffey
Resource Management Plans (for your land?)
How does the UN, Monsanto, mining, and oil & gas companies get their hands into Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Resource Management Plans and Environmental Assessments to dictate the use of our public lands (and our future)?
Well, I found one way. I noticed that two companies, Tetra Tech and Environmental Management & Planning Solutions, Inc. (EMPSi), are preparing BLM (and Forest Service) Resource Management Plans (RMPs), Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), Environmental Assessments (EAs) and other reports. (So what do we pay BLM employees to do, just look pretty in their uniforms?)
Tetra Tech
It’s not some small environmental company. Tetra Tech has 13,000 employees in 330 offices around the world. Tetra tech owns about 25 other companies and makes billions of dollars in annual revenues. They work with developers, nuclear power, energy, mining and minerals processing, etc. On the Tetra Tech website, it declares: “Our Mission: To be the premier worldwide consulting, engineering, and construction firm.”
Tetra Tech even bought PRO-Intelligent, an international security and intelligence consulting firm used by the US State Department. So they seem to have their hands in everything.
The most troubling aspect about Tetra Tech preparing the plans for the BLM can be seen by looking at Tetra Tech’s Board of the Directors:
Hugh M. Grant is the Chairman, President and CEO of Monsanto.
(on Tetra Tech’s website, this fact was omitted in his bio). Why would Monsanto’s CEO be on the Board of an engineering and construction company?
J. Kenneth Johnson is a Director of Alaska Air Group, which owns Coeur D’ Alene Mines Corp. and Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (oil and gas exploration). He’s President of Pacific Star Energy LLC, and managing director of Alaska Venture Capital Group (a private oil and gas exploration firm) He was also an ARCO (BP) executive. Albert Smith was an Exec V.P. at Lockheed Martin and worked for the CIA.
J. Christopher Lewis co-founded Riordan, Lewis & Haden and is on the Board of Secure Mission Solutions. Riordan, Lewis & Haden has investments in Tetra Tech and Secure Mission Solutions.
Patrick Haden was a partner in Riordan, Lewis & Haden and Director of TCW Strategies Income Fund and The TCW Funds. (And USC’s athletic director.)
Richard H. Truly is Director of Xcel Energy, Inc. and is on the Board of the Colorado School of Mines.
Dan L. Batrack, has a vague bio: Batrack “has served in numerous capacities over the last 30 years, including project scientist, project manager, operations manager, senior vice president and president of an operating unit. He has managed complex programs for many small and Fortune 500 clients, both in theUnited States and internationally.”
There seems to be possibilities for conflicts of interest. And also a possibility to exert some control over land, water and resources.
Tetra Tech has been contracted by the BLM to help the BLM Winnemucca, Nevada office with their RMP. Which is interesting, because within the Winnemucca BLM district is the Rochester Mine, owned by Couer d’Alene Mines, which Tetra Tech Board Member J. Kenneth Johnson may have an interest in, since he’s on the Board of Directors of the company that owns Couer d’Alene Mines.
In Tetra Tech’s SEC filings, it states that in regard to revenues, it received 21.9% from Department of Defense agencies, 11.3% from USAID and 11.8% from otherU.S.federal government agencies.
It also claims that international business grew 195.0% in the third quarter of fiscal 2011, and that they expected international business to grow significantly in fiscal 2011 and continue strong demand for their services in the mining and energy markets worldwide.
In 2011, they also acquired a mining engineering company in Australia, which they expected to “enhance” their “technical expertise in the mining and minerals processing sector” and expand service in Australia and “serve as a gateway to new markets across Asia and Africa.”
Sounds like they’re in the mining business to me. Could they be creating “gateways” here in the USA to increase their business?
If Tetra Tech owns or has clients who own, energy and mining companies, and they are preparing or helping to prepare the RMPs, EISs and EAs, it seems like they might be tempted to cut themselves a good deal.
Tetra Tech RTW mining services provides Heap Leach Facility Design, Tailings Facility Design, Tailings Delivery Systems, and Mining Process Fluid Management. If they’re “providing” tailing delivery systems to mines, isn’t this “selling” this to mining companies? And unless they’re providing their services for free, their business depends on mining. Most businesses want to keep their customers happy and think of ways to make more money.
Tetra Tech has some interesting connections in the oil and gas industry. They bought Halliburton’s subsidiaries Brown & Root Environmental and Halliburton NUS (Nuclear Utilities Service Corp.) in 1997.
Tetra Tech EC designed and constructed more than 20 nuclear power facilities from 1960 through 1990. It’s a good thing Tetra Tech also does remediation. They could potentially clean up at both ends of the deal.
Environmental Management & Planning Solutions Inc. (EMPSi)
The BLM Battle Mountain District Office (Nevada) awarded a $1.6 million contract to Environmental Management Planning Solutions Inc. to prepare a resource management plan (RMP) “to guide development and conservation on 10.5 million acres of federal land within Lander County, Eureka County, Nye County, and Esmeralda County, Nevada.”
EMPSi was part of the “Outreach Core Team” to implement Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) to facilitate geothermal development on “federal” lands throughout the western US. It seems EMPSi was/is also doing geothermal permit development support for “confidential clients” in Nevada. So they’re preparing a Resource Management Plan for development and conservation (which may mean just saving assets for their clients) on the one hand, then on the other hand they’re helping confidential clients get their permits.
Who OWNS EMPSi? It’s a private company and it’s hard to find out much about it. It seems that key employees of EMPSi have also worked for Tetra Tech. That includes John E. King, the “Principal” of EMPSi, who has been at EMPSi since 2006. Before that, he was at Tetra Tech from 1982-2006, and was a Vice President. EMPSi lists Tetra Tech as a “Client.”
EMPSi was incorporated in Delaware in 2000, so it’s impressive that a company that is only about 10 years old (again, it’s hard to find the history of this company, even on its website) has clients including about 11 US government agencies (including the Departments of Defense, Interior, Agriculture) states, cities, banks and major energy companies.
EMPSi even assisted Solyndra in getting a Department of Energy loan guarantee.
The UN Connection
If you look at the services on EMPSi’s website , you see terms like socioeconomic & environmental justice, visual resource management and sustainable development. These terms probably weren’t in US environmental assessments 30 years ago. Socioeconomic justice, also called “equity,” is communism.
If you look on the UN’s website, specifically about sustainable development in the USA (and note in the heading on the link that this is Agenda 21), , be sure to take note of a sentence in the first paragraph “In the absence of a multi-sectoral consensus on how to achieve sustainable development in the United States, the PCSD was conceived to formulate recommendations for the implementation of Agenda 21.” (PCSD is the US President’s Council on Sustainable Development).
You’ll also see the subtitle “Integrated” Decision Making. UN’s Agenda 21 is what is being integrated and implemented in the USA, sidestepping Congress and the Constitution. Read Agenda 21: . There are chapters about “changing consumptive patterns” and “promoting sustainable human settlement development” (this means moving you out of rural areas and into stack and pack apartments in cities) and “integrating environment and development into decision-making.” (This includes decision-making like RMPs, EISs and EAs.)
Both Tetra Tech and EMPSi have US agencies as “clients.” U.S. agencies that are members of the UN’s IUCN are: U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, Agriculture (Forest Service), the Interior (Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These agencies are also on the Rural Council.
On the IUCN website, it states: “IUCN links its Mission to the paramount goals of the international community on environment and sustainable development, in particular Agenda 21…” Agenda 21 expert Cassandra Anderson of www.morphcity.com states that Agenda 21 is the United Nations’ ACTION PLAN.
Tetra Tech “participates” in IUCN’s DCMC (DC Marine Community). The World Bank is on the Advisory Board. Tetra Tech implemented a USAID funded a project, the Forest Carbon, Markets and Communities (FCMC) Program, led by Scott Hajost (Chief of Party). Hajost is a member of the IUCN-US Board, and has served on IUCN Commissions on law and ecosystems. Hajost was Senior Counsel to the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) for two years. (He was writing the UN laws to be integrated and implemented.)
Resource Mangement Plans
RMPs are a big deal because a lot of BLM plans for “multiple uses” are based on RMPs for 10 or 15 years. An RMP (as described on the BLM website), “will be to establish guidance, objectives, policies, and management actions for public lands” and addresses:
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I guess with the “other issues,” the RMP covers everything.
RMPs, EISs and EAs give the green light to certain “multiple uses” on our public lands (like expanding mining or a free-for-all on the oil and gas lease sales of our public lands for as little as $2 an acre) or take away things that were on our public lands, like removing our wild horses to make room for other uses.
Tetra Tech received a $55 million contract from the EPA for a Pollution Prevention Program and a $20 million contract from State Department US AID for a Climate Change Program. Looking at the larger picture, what really seems to be on the horizon in terms of “change” is the loss pf our democracy, and active participation in “prevention” of private land ownership.
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SOURCES:
http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/usa/inst.htm
http://www.tetratech.com/us/our-company.html
http://www.tetratech.com/us/management-team/
http://www.tetratech.com/us/sec-filings/
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=108748481
http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-government/5397351-1.html
https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/ref_text/GS07F0578N/0GMBKC.20PF8F_GS-07F-0578N_TT84071309.PDF
http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=TTEK.O
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-king/4/44B/284
http://www.answers.com/topic/tetra-tech-inc
http://securemissionsolutions.com/vision-values.html
http://www.pioneernrc.com/about/profile.htm
http://people.forbes.com/profile/dan-l-batrack/77995
http://www.tetratech.com/us/commercial-energy.html
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/scott-hajost/9/A72/715
http://dcmarine.net/members_dcmc.html
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field/blm_information/rmp.html
http://www.emps2.com/BLM_EMPSi.html
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-king/4/44B/284
http://securemissionsolutions.com/management.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riordan,_Lewis_%26_Haden
http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1669010
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-batts/5/4a/21a
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/holly-prohaska/10/269/81a
http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Gentile_Andrew_489432920.aspx
http://www.sanfranciscohypnotherapy.com/About_Andrew.htm
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/46393630/Consultation-Agreement
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Information/newsroom/2003/draft_management_plan.html
http://www.tetratech.com/All-Projects/desert-sunlight-photovoltaic-project.html
https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/controller
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Categories: Horse News, Uncategorized
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
OMG! This needs to go viral….
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It’s been said about 200 people run the whole show. I have done similar studies following the money and found all the dots connected. The CEO of one of the largest polluting companies in NY also was the person that managed the budget of the NY Dept of Environmental Conservation. Monsanto’s technicals wrap around the White House. The economy of this country is in direct conflict with the environment just look at the article and how the EPA spends its money. The words jobs, growth and development are code words for big money grabbing more and more profit by destroying our air, land and water. Our American Mustangs are just another profit motive for the machine rolling over us.
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I still think “Darth Vader” Cheney spent a great deal of time while in office setting this disaster up.
Good work, Ms Coffey.
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WOW !!! I agree with Kathleen. This MUST go viral. Corruption is ruling and ruining this country.
Be sure to comment on the RMP of Sheldon http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org
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America must WAKE UP !!!!! The Seniors of this country are 50 million strong if only they would all get on thislllllllllllllllllllll NOW RIGHT NOW
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Who in the hell would believe this? Our country is being sold down the river along with our beautiful horses. There is always an alterior motive when these people push and cover up all this stuff. This makes me absolutely sick to my
stomach! Thanks for exposing this corruption…unbelieavable……….They must be STOPPED IN SOME WAY! They will destroy our country and move on to another..
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Are your nightmares reds under the bed or black helicopters.
a major chunk of UN funds comes from the USA.
The only reason these consulting corporations put such guff into their publicity is that it appeals to the bureaucrats in governments around the world the are not run by the UN or aliens controlling the UN or governments much too much DR WHO.,
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Isn’t there a theory that the Bilderberg Group is controlling everything?
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The Bilderberg Group … conspiracy, or the world’s ultimate lobbyists?
“The idea that a shadowy clique is running the world is nothing new. Shouldn’t we expect that the rich and powerful organise things in their own interests. It’s called capitalism.” … Aladair Spark
Note to self: “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.” … Joseph Heller, “Catch-22”
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What’s the solution? Once again, if there is evidence of corruption or subjectivity in the decisions that are being made to hire these companies to draft these documents, the appropriate and effective response is to file a lawsuit challenging the award of the contract to those companies. Government agencies rarely respond to public outcry, even public comment during a public comment period. They only amend their behavior once they are challenged with a lawsuit. Who would be willing to file a lawsuit once these contracts to draft these documents are entered into? What association has the funds and standing to do that? This is where your efforts should lie.
The terms “socioeconomic & environmental justice, visual resource management and sustainable development” were most certainly in documents such as RMPs prepared 30 years ago and more recently. Remember that RMPs are only amended and updated every 20 years. Today, the similar buzzwords that are supposed to reassure the environmental community are “sustainability” and “biomass.”
Your worry about the UN Agenda 21 is off the mark, very off the mark. As is your worry about the IUCN, if you are fully aware of what the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is. The IUCN has been instrumental in preserving and conserving rare and endangered species and ecosystems world wide. In fact, it would be a huge help in preserving the wild horses if they were included in IUCN’s Equid Action Plan, the very same one that Craig Downer keeps mentioning.
If you want to stop BLM (or any other government agency for that matter) you need to litigate them at every turn. That is the only way that I have seen that other agencies and associations are able to effect permanent and meaningful change. Sorry to say but its based on decades of working to preserve our natural environment and the non-humans that inhabit it.
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Spanish Sage Ranch, it’s apparent that you know very little about the real inner workings of the United Nations and their “programmes.” It’s also apparent you aren’t really reading or paying attention to the facts and details of my article. I can assure you I have done much more research into the United Nations workings that you have. You only know about what you think on the “surface” of things. Agenda 21 does not want private property ownership, or our type of democracy, as we have known it.
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Spanish Sage Ranch – Dianne Pinney – BLM RAC member (APPOINTED by the BLM)
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RAC members are appointed by the Secreatry of the Department of the Interior
(of which BLM is under). I may be wrong, but it is my understanding that when applicants apply to be on the RAC, the applications go to the local BLM office, which then cherry picks the ones they want to send on up the line.
Click to access SEOR_Charter.pdf
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Spanish Sage is wrong about UN Agenda 21 Sustainable Development- it is a serious problem that has infiltrated every area of our government. For evidence of this, check out Bill Clinton’s President’s Council for Sustainabel Development (PCSD): http://clinton2.nara.gov/PCSD/Members/ . Additionally, you can see that it is a depopulation program (“population stabilization” is a veiled term for population control): http://clinton2.nara.gov/PCSD/Overview/index.html .
Spanish Sage is wrong about the IUCN and the Endangered Species Act, which is really a plot to steal private land. If he is really a rancher, I suggest he study up on this because rural land is under attack. Here’s an explanation of the origin and intent of the Endangered Species Act: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMVeymYFFJk
The Endangered Species Act has saved exactly ZERO species!!!
Spanish Sage is also wrong about expensive lawsuits being the only way to effect change. For example, in California, people became so outraged over Enron that they attended public meetings; because such an enormous fuss was raised, Congress finally stepped in and passed legislation for regional caps on prices in deregulated markets.
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Spanish Sage Ranch: You should know better than to mess with a stellar researcher like Debbie Coffey. Trying to divert attention from the facts is a weak ploy and gets you nowhere fast in this group.
Don’t you think we know damage control when we see it? Your “Nothing to see here folks, move along” post is, as you put it, ‘very off the mark.’
As an appointee of BLM you are complicit. You are an operative. You are a mole. You are not to be trusted.
The information provided here by Debbie Coffey is vital, accurate, and important. For more informaton on UN Agenda 21, the agenda for the 21st century, please see our website.
Democrats Against UN Agenda 21 dot com
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Thank you Ms Coffey and RT ..
This is not the first nor will it be the last , investigative reporting that literally engulfs a “God Bless America” citizen with cold chills and a feeling of despair
for this country’s future generations !! The words of the Woody Guthrie song “THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND this Land is Our Land ” came to my mind , for we are surely witnessing, Our/Your land , rapidly becoming “Their ” Land !!
And then ;
“How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished.” Jeremiah 12:4
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Thank you for your hard work. This just has to go somewhere.
It is a shame that the 1964 Wilderness Act was written in vain. It is all due to greed. We can take steps to create a new generation of advocates. Read and share ‘Facts of Life’ in Accordance with the Natural World’s Universal Truths, a primer for environmental activism. https://sites.google.com/site/fictiononfact
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This is just a few excerpts from a very long article. I did not know ANYTHING about Agenda 21 until I read Debbie’s article. It would be in our best interests to become aware of this. As we have all learned, the more words…..the more places to hide hidden clauses:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/tech-mainmenu-30/environment/6235-your-hometown-a-the-united-nations-agenda-21
In March 2010, Nor-Cal Produce, a family-owned produce business in West Sacramento, was fined $32,500 by the California Air Resources Board (ARB, or CARB). The company was not charged with, or even accused of, illegal emissions; like many other businesses, it had merely failed to notice a new regulation posted by CARB requiring all semi-trailers, shipping containers, vans, and rail cars with diesel-powered refrigerators to file a report with the agency.
“We had no knowledge of the law,” Nor-Cal’s Chief Financial Officer Todd Achando told CalWatchDog, a news blog that monitors California government. “My operations manager happened to see it mentioned in a trade magazine about a year and a half after the deadline passed.” Because Nor-Cal reported itself to CARB and “cooperated,” the agency reduced the $200/day fine from $86,600 to $32,500.
ICLEI, the Hidden UN Component
There is a hidden component to the saga of California’s ongoing woes that is gradually coming to light, hopefully in time to enable other states to avert the same calamity. That hidden component is becoming more visible as we near 2012, which the United Nations will celebrate as the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Earth Summit. Known officially as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the eco-confab in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was unprecedented in size and scope, bringing together some 35,000 government officials, diplomats, NGO activists, and journalists. Rio became the launch pad for a number of huge initiatives that have been gradually gaining force and wreaking havoc on the planet in the intervening decades. The five main documents to come out of the UNCED process are:
• The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
• The Statement of Forest Principles
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
• Agenda 21
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Great work, Deb. This is a huge expose of these interwoven corporations and backup companies and consultants. Tetra Tech looks gigantic. BLM is allowing these people to set policy, it seems. That is incredible. We would like the wild horses and burros saved from the machinations of this whole lot of corporate land grabbers. ˇThe depth of the involvement of these businesses with our government and the BLM feels too close for comfort.
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We just had Defend Rural America on the radio show last night. Originating in Siskiyou County California, this is the pilot program for the UN regulations and mandates ending private property ownership. The Ranchers and farmers who have been there for generations are under pressure to give up their ranches and farms “for the greater good”…..the first non-human habitat zone in the US an as marked out in the UN biodiversity map. Also, under this pilot program three klamath hydro electic dams are to be blown ….just in time to run the
Ruby pipeline to Oregons coast for shipment to China.
The enivironmental program as it exists is a front for the UN and the ending of private property ownership with all property to be held by the state.
Killing the wild horse herds off was just the beginning……now they are coming for the ranchers and farmers……and eventually they will get to the rest of you.
Excellant work as always Deb in finding out the who’s who’s, and what the real agenda is at work.
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George Carlin was right when he said “Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, and city halls. They got the judges in their back pocket. And they own all the big media companies so they control just about all the news and information your get to hear. They got you by the balls.”
There is so much concentrated power. I understand why the OWS protesters are so angry. WE ALL NEED TO BE ANGRY.
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Right on, Jodi.
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In answer to George Carlin, May His Soul Rest In Peace..the female warriors don’t have that part of the anatomy, so they can’t be grabbed by the “you know what”. What they DO have is a Fierce Mother Instinct and they are in the process of doing some of the “grabbing”, and they AREN’T letting go.
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You people are as off the mark about me, what I have personal knowledge of, and whom I have met and associated with, as you are about global sustainability issues and programs to keep humans and their excess uses from destroying the earth and the non-human inhabitants that we share it with. Maybe you should do some better research. It is clear that most of you are against environmental regulations and natural resource protection. What do you think will protect the wild horses? And what successes have you all had, outside of lawsuits? Methinkst ye all doth protesteth too much that you all know so much and I know so little. I really appreciate being able to see how you all think, it helps me a great deal in my efforts to help the wild horses to get to know the other players more directly, as opposed to what I have heard from others. Why don’t you tell Craig Downer he is participating and supporting some corporate take over of the wild lands of the world when he suggests that the wild horses be included an IUCN program? I am sure he will as amazed and amused as I am at this interpretation of things.
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Spanish Sage Ranch, you have again made incorrect ASSUMPTIONS… I am not against natural resource protection. You seem to have missed the point of most of the article, and I’m amzed and amused that you don’t seem a bit concerned about the facts regarding Tetra Tech and EMPSi preparing RMPs, EISs, or EAs for the BLM.
And if you have an RMP pre-1980 that has “socioeconomic justice” in it, could you please send us the link? I’d like to see it.
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Jodi your right and we are angry, have been for a long long time, but it get’s us nowhere because as you said and Debbie and RT have shown they have us all by the the short and curlies. Good work all of you that worked hard on these articles to expose the corruption. My concern for awhile now is what is our next move, how does one/we stop this?
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This is vintage Deb, Kate…pure and undistilled!!!
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http://ppjg.wordpress.com/
Defend Rural America: 8 Sheriff’s that deserve our respect
November 3, 2011 by ppjg
Marti Oakley
Here are eight county sheriffs from Northern CA and Southern OR speaking on at panel at the Defend Rural America event October 22, 2011 in Yreka. Despite the low media coverage there were about 700 people in attendance from all over California, Oregon and as far away as Wyoming. The sheriffs made it perfectly clear that they are the last line of defense for their citizens and given authority by the 10th Amendment. YOU will be a source of information beyond the lame stream media by forwarding this link!
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This is getting more than good! Fabulous replies and info…thank you.
BTW, this is about CONTROL of resources under the lies of “multi-use” (remember that word?) and protectionism.
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IF “they” are allowed to control the resources (that includes the land and water), then the People can be controlled.
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We already are controlled – it’s called the syndicated press – they dictate what news we hear and see and decide the spin on how the news will be presented. The good news is with platforms like this, alternative views can be shared!
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Interesting about Australia where the ‘brumbies’ are shot on sight from the air. There are no protections whatsoever for the wild horses in Australia. This is something out of a Tom Cruise – twisted plot Hollwood movie coming to America soon!
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Deb, if you would send or post links to all the RMPs prepared over the last 30 years, I would be delighted to find the language that you are asking to see. I did not indicate lack of concern about the subjectivity of those who are preparing documents etc for BLM. I just did not see any need to rant and rave about it, and skipped on to what can be done. Of course informing people of your research and your own conclusions is a helpful thing but in order to stop the process, more needs to happen. To reiterate, this is what I said:
“What’s the solution? Once again, if there is evidence of corruption or subjectivity in the decisions that are being made to hire these companies to draft these documents, the appropriate and effective response is to file a lawsuit challenging the award of the contract to those companies. Government agencies rarely respond to public outcry, even public comment during a public comment period. They only amend their behavior once they are challenged with a lawsuit. Who would be willing to file a lawsuit once these contracts to draft these documents are entered into? What association has the funds and standing to do that? This is where your efforts should lie.”
If anyone is interested in what I actually do on the RAC, feel free to email or otherwise contact me. I can tell you I am a far cry from the earlier WHB rep who advocated for the sales authority and in fact got the entire RAC to send a letter endorsing that position. And I was not appointed by the BLM.
Good luck with your efforts, I sincerely hope that they lead to changes in the way the wild horses are managed, and I look forward to seeing those RMPs.
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RAC members are appointed by the Secretary of the Dept. of the Interior.
(BLM is part of the Dept. of Interior).
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Spanish Sage Ranch, while in my article I said certain terms “probably weren’t” in RMPs 30 years ago, you emphatically stated that the language I mentioned was “most certainly” in RMPs 30 years ago. Since you stated your opinion as an actual fact, the onus is on you to prove that it ACTUALLY IS, and if you want to FOIA 30 years of RMPs, be my guest. Maybe since you’re a RAC member you can just ask the BLM and they’ll send them to you.
Most people don’t have money to file lawsuits, or the standing to file them. Here in CA, I believe the BLM chooses whom they want to be on the RAC – I haven’t seen any elections for the RAC on my ballot at the voting booth. Where did people vote for you to be on the RAC in Oregon?
Thanks for your efforts to save the horses from sale authority.
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Debbie, I knew you mentioned the FOIA recently. This extensive article was published by POGO (Project on Government Oversight) on Friday:
Did Your FOIA Request [Documents] Really Not Exist–Or is That Just What the DOJ Told You?
http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2011/11/did-your-foia-request-really-not-exist-or-is-that-just-what-the-doj-told-you.html
Intro: “The Department of Justice (DOJ) came to its senses on Thursday and scrapped a controversial proposal that would model the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on the first rule of Fight Club. Then it backpedaled by saying it has actually been misleading FOIA requesters about the existence of certain documents for the last nearly 25 years–the proposed rule would have just put the practice into its regulations.”
But did the DOJ really come to its senses, or will they just find another way to deny citizens access to vital “public” information? Considering the deceptive semantics of Obama’s “Open Government”, the answer should be obvious.
I subscribe to POGO’s Newsletter, and what they uncover curls my hair on a regular basis. Their website is an affirmation of how “our” government really works, and who it works for. Believe me, it ain’t us!
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This POGO article speaks to the issue of collusion between the DOI, regulatory agencies, and special interests:
Investigations: Natural Resources
http://www.pogo.org/investigations/natural-resources/
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Not to mention that H.B. 1996 the Government Litigation Savings Act is in Committee. If this bill evolves into law, we would many of rights that allow us as citizens to insist that our government follow our laws, not abuse or over-reach its power, or allow incompetent, unsuitable people to create harm for the people. The Wallisonians and their enables such as Representative Cynthia Lummis want to see this pass so we can not interfere with the BLM’s ability to do their job.
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Doesn’t H.B. 1996 seem unconstitutional? The government seems to have little to no accountability to the people.
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I think so. It is definitely a slap in the face of Democracy.
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Have some “fun” with this story and note that “industry” helped draft the language:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar-desert-20111028,0,7889585.story
Grab the aspirin and kleenex, because this is just another arm of the monster strangling our wild ones, water, land, etc. This is an effort that seriously effects “multiple use” for BLM to continue their carte blanche management of our lands and the resources on them.
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Many thanks for this , Denise. No wonder our wild horses and burros are being removed. Sooner than later it will be other wildlife and the cattle also. They are moving desert tortoises out of their natural habitat but the poor little things probably won’t survive. I’m for solar power but the panels should be on roof tops–not on our public lands. Corrupt DOI idiots/Saalzar.
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While we are on the subject … try this article on for size. It’s another example of what Deb Coffey’s great research is telling us … “follow the money”.
Information about the loans taken out against the grazing allotment PERMITS that are now owned by the BIG money corporations such as the Metropolitan Life etc……..
http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/DocServer/Report_Mortgaging_Our_Natural_Heritage.pdf?docID=962
WALL STREET OWNS THE FUTURE OF OUR WH&B $$$
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The thing is to extricate our wild ones from this mess!! Certainly THEY have Standing!? While the land and policy are messed with again and again these creatures are real and must have recognition! This has become a swamp of confusion for any who want to proceed, clean and clear, to get our wild ones out of this situation everyone else has created for them!
F*** a duck!
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Pardon me. This has become an unprecedented morass of land grabbing and disenfranchisement for our protected species. It never fails to amaze me where this has been and where it is going!
Can we please get our wild ones off this corporate/gov’mint merry go round? Just spit all of us out somewhere and we will be happy!
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